Jesus told a story: “Behold, the sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured it.

Some fell on rocky places, and it sprang up quickly, but when the sun came up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it.”

The sower is God, and the seed is His Word. The different soils represent the hearts.

The soil by the wayside is the heart that hears the Word but does not understand it. The rocky ground is the heart that hears but cannot take root, so it is short-lived.

Meanwhile, the thorny ground is the heart that hears the Word, but the worries and desires for wealth choke out God’s precious seed.

Thankfully, there is a fourth soil, which is the good soil. It is the heart that hears, understands the Word, and bears fruit.

In all cases, the problem is neither the sower nor his precious seed. The issue is always the soil of the heart. Let us prepare this inner place, removing the hardness of prejudice, the stones of resentment, and the worries about the future.

Each morning, the sower will come to our fields with new seeds of hope. Let us prepare the soil diligently, and soon we will see multicolored fruits of virtue.